Feel For You
by RosaBella75
Summary: Saunter back to a time when self-love was as taboo as sex outside of marriage. But what's a young woman to do when sexual urges become too strong to resist? Isn't self sex the safest sex? AH Collab w/ TwiliteAddict *Spank the Monkey Contest Entry*
1. Chapter 1: Esme

Contest entry for Spanking the Monkey! For additional contest entries, please visit: www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/~spankthemonkey4u

Title: Feel for You

Name: TwiliteAddict and RosaBella75 (aka IslandWoman221)

Pairing: Esme x Carlisle

Rating: M

~o~

Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended, we're just having fun putting them in opportunistic situations.

Summary: Contest Entry for Spank the Monkey. Saunter back to a time when self-love was as taboo as sex outside of marriage. But what's a young woman to do when sexual urges become too strong to resist? Isn't self sex the safest sex?

~o~

Tallahassee, Florida  
>Summer, 1956<p>

"Good Lord, it's hot! I'm about to melt," Rose stated the obvious. Sitting on her best friend's porch swing, the two rocked back and forth in a futile attempt to create any kind of air movement resembling a breeze. Giving up, Rose removed her neck scarf to dab at the beads of sweat collecting on her forehead. Nothing was worse than the suffocating summer humidity in the South.

"Another glass of lemonade?" Esme offered with genuine Southern hospitality.

"Oh, hell no. I've had so much of that shit my eyeballs are floating."

"Well, what do you suggest we do to take our minds off the heat, then, Miss Peevish?"

Rose heaved a deep sigh realizing she needed to make nice with her friend. "Why don't you tell me what clubs you are going to join at University this fall?" she asked disconsolately before becoming much more animated, despite the heat. "Or, maybe, we can talk about boys... You can't hide how you feel about the new kid from me, Es."

Esme blushed, realizing she should have known she'd left Rose the perfect opening to pursue her favorite topic. "Golly, am I really that obvious?"

Rose snorted and gave Esme a telling look. "Though I do have to say you can pick them! He's cute. Seems very mature. Perfect for you ... and if he's from New York City, I bet he has _L'_ _Expérience_." Rose put a really bad French accent on the last two words.

Esme bit her lower lip; she knew what type of "_L' Expérience_" Rose was referring to. Carlisle had moved from New York City to Tallahassee midway through the school year. He was the quarterback at his old school, and his physical fitness was obvious. Arriving so far into the school year, he had to settle for second string, but that didn't matter to Esme; he was tall, toned and she loved his Northern accent. Ever since the day she saw him remove his sweaty shirt after football practice, her mind seemed to be preoccupied with him.

Esme shifted slightly on the swing. The thought of him did _things_to her.

"Rosie! Hey, Rosie!" a deep voice called out from the road.

The two wilting young women perked up at seeing a large cloud of dust erupting from the dirt road in front of Esme's house. A gang of guys went flying by on bicycles and were certainly in a hurry to get somewhere. The big voice belonged to an even bigger youth, Emmett.

"Hey, yourself!" Rose waved and quickly inched her full skirt just above her knees.

Rose loved to flirt and it was her dream to win the attention of Emmett McCarty. Neither a greaser nor a teddy boy, he marched to his own drum, preferring to wear tight jeans and t-shirts to show off his well-muscled physique.

"Now look who's ogling?" Esme taunted. That is, until she caught sight of a blond, slicked-back duck-tail (or... D.A. as Rose would have called it) reflecting the sun through the dust cloud.

Rose snapped her fingers in front of Esme's blank expression and laughed. "Em and Carlisle have been hanging out together ever since they discovered they're both attending Florida State this fall. They're gonna be roomies."

"Where do you think they're going?" Esme asked, still staring intently at the rapidly moving forms. Suddenly they ditched their bikes and bolted into the thick brush.

"Probably to the old watering hole." Rosalie shrugged, as she glanced over to see an eager grin sprout over Esme's face.

"Let's go too!"

"We weren't invited, Es."

"Who says we have to be invited? It's a public water hole. We're college women now! Independent."

Rose knew that gleam in the sharp blue of Esme's eyes - there was no stopping Esme once her mind was made up.

The two ran toward the brush, clamoring through the wild growth until the boys' voices became clear.

"Shhh!" Rose put a finger to her lips and hissed as they edged closer and crouched to stay concealed from sight. Carefully, Esme pulled aside the slender, leafy branch that obstructed the view of their quarry.

The guys were skipping stones across the large pond while carrying on several conversations at once. Suddenly, the boy they knew as Riley hollered out, "Hey Em, my sister told me Rose thinks you're pretty boss."

Esme and Rose exchanged excited glances.

"Yeah, she thinks this is pretty boss!" he bellowed, grabbing his groin with his right hand.

Esme gasped in shock.

Rose whispered with a smirk, "Well, it is true."

Esme's eyes widened.

"Oh, Es, don't be such a prudie square! Aren't you the least bit curious? You can't tell me you don't think about Carlisle's… anatomy. Besides, what do you think about when you touch your tulip - you know, when you're by yourself?"

"What?" Esme shrieked indignantly before Rose yanked her closer to the ground to keep her from going Ape.

"Shhhh! Listen don't knock it until you try it. Anyway, I heard guys do that sort of thing at least five times a day! I figure if I keep it to two or three times a week, I'm probably normal."

Esme nodded, Rose's calculations did seem to make sense. Anyway, in Esme's eyes, Rose was the expert, as she seemed to always have some kind of unsolicited sexual answer which Esme secretly enjoyed. At least Rose's mother was willing to talk about such issues, unlike Esme's mother who told her not to worry, she would learn all she needed to know once she was married to a "nice man" someday.

So many things were happening to her body when she daydreamed about Carlisle... and Elvis - oh, how there was something raw and sexual about the way he swiveled those hips. _Elvis the Pelvis, _they called him, and she found the more she thought about Elvis, the _swivellier_she felt down in her own pelvis. Well, that was too embarrassing to discuss even with your best friend, even though Esme suspected Rose learned most of her knowledge from watching Elizabeth Taylor or Marilyn Monroe movies!

However, lately she found she could derive some pleasure by squeezing her thighs together at just the right rhythm. When she did that and thought of Carlisle, her panties would become wet. The most perplexing part - doing so tended to cause sudden shivers to ripple up her spine; a result she found herself seeking out again and again, and wondering, _how far could this feeling go_?

A loud shout pulled Esme's attention back to the rowdy boys around the water hole.

They had starting start pushing and wrestling – generally working up a sweat before they chased each other up the trail and disappeared behind the line of scrubby trees. There appeared to be some sort of race or bet brewing between them.

Without warning, Emmett and Carlisle barreled out of the underbrush, shedding their clothes as fast as they could - obviously in a race to the water. The girls weren't sure if they were the winners or the losers of the bet, but the view of the two men running naked was quite a shock to their _delicate sensibilities_!

While Rose naturally recovered quickly, Esme gasped, a hand flying unbidden to her suddenly heaving chest and pounding heart and she tried to run away.

Without missing a beat, Rose clasped a hand over Esme's mouth, determined to not get caught and miss the opportunity to see what might happen next. She pulled the previously fleeing Esme down into the brush with her, and couldn't help but snicker at Esme's wide eyes bulging over the top of her covered mouth.

What the young women missed as they ducked for cover was Carlisle had already made it to the pond first and caught a glimpse of a bright pink bow tying back a caramel-colored ponytail from within the brush.

Slowly Esme peeled Rose's hand from her mouth, but, by now, she was more intrigued than startled and not quite as ashamedly eager to resume her spying as she ought to have been. With mouths agape, the pair sat frozen - memorizing the sight. Esme could feel her cheeks blaze. The heat in her face seemed to flow downward, making her blouse suddenly feel oddly restrictive, and a deep achy feeling seemed to tie itself into a steadily constricting knot deep inside her belly and between her legs.

It was an ache (her womanly instincts whispered to her) that the hard, sculpted, naked – male – body before her could give her rapturous relief from. Carlisle could show her how far this new feeling could go... and the thought of that possibility rushed through her, sending a correspondingly deep tremor through her entire system. Devouring him with suddenly unabashedly hungry eyes, Esme watched as Carlisle's feet sent up splashes of water up onto his thighs and calves. For Esme, the droplets appeared to be sliding in slow motion as if reluctant to return to the water.

Esme continued to watch as Carlisle slowed his flight into the water to saunter slowly into the cool green cover of the pond. For the briefest of moments, she felt their eyes meet! "No, it couldn't be!" Esme's mind rejected the idea as quickly as it had come. She watched his jaw clench from the side, which for some reason, made her think a sly smile had stretched across Carlisle's face. Her vantage point granted her the opportunity to savor the sight of the water slowly rising over the pale toned flesh of his buttocks, back, and then finally over his arms up to the wide pale strips on his shoulders where his sleeveless undershirt had prevented his tanning.

Esme gasped under her breath, "He knows."

Heated spots bloomed across her cheeks and neck once again. Somehow knowing he could feel her unrepentant eyes on him only served to make her observances more forbidden. For all she _knew,_ she should be a good girl and look away, she couldn't bring herself to do it, instead, savoring the illicit moment with baited breath.

By now the other boys were crashing into the water, and the spell Carlisle had cast was broken. Esme felt Rose tugging on her arm, obviously hoping to use the raucous clamor to make a hasty escape.

"Holy crap, Es!" Rose panted as they put some distance between them and the water hole. "Did you see the size of Emmett?"

"It's obvious he's lifting weights," Esme tried to come up with a reply, when honestly, she didn't even remember if she saw Emmett.

"That is _not_ what I meant!" Rose giggled at Esme's apparent naiveté. "Listen, I'm running home to grab my 35 mm - be right back. I've just _gotta_get some snaps of this!"

Without waiting for a response, Rose took off, leaving Esme alone to make a decision; stay by herself and continue peeping (she couldn't hide from the fact of what she _was_doing) or sneak off like she knew she ought to. Esme really wanted to stay, and her body begged her to, but her mind told her to scoot home like a good girl.

In the end, curiosity about the new feelings coursing through her body won out. It had to be now while she had the guts… and the motivation! Determinedly, she stuffed down her natural feelings of timidity and climbed through the overgrowth until she came upon an empty area almost out of earshot of the pond, far enough away she figured. It was bathed in the warm sun of the day and quite inviting especially with how it was completely surrounded by high reeds and grasses right down to the water for privacy.

Esme sat down, legs tucked to the side, her ankles properly crossed, savoring the delicious abandon of Carlisle's laughter in the distance, allowing it to distract her from the unsettling sensation between her legs. At first she simply listened, but before long, thinking of Carlisle caused her mind revisit the clandestine sight of Carlisle naked as a Jay bird. The fantasy quickly took on a life of its own and in it, not only did he see her watching - he approached her.

Reclining back into the grass and reeds, Esme squeezed her thighs tightly with the vision in her head taking a scandalously pleasing turn. Committing fully to the experience, she dropped from her elbows to lay all the way back, extending her legs out and exulting in the sensation of the breeze flipping her skirt up above her knees while doing nothing to right it.

Esme had to smile, Rose was right, it _could_feel good to be bad. Returning to her daydream, she felt her breathing accelerate again as images of Carlisle's eyes, running up and down her body, and of laying spread before him in the bent-over grass and reeds near the edge of the large pond, filled her mind's eye to overflowing.

The intensity of the expression on his face, shining brightly from his eyes, showed his unequivocal approval of just how much of her leg lay exposed to the sun and air. Imagining him looking at her bare limbs left an imaginary trail of heat up her already damp and overheated skin. The irresistible thought of him licking his lips while looking down at the rapid heaving of her bosom, which was suddenly swelling against the thin, restraining fabric of her blouse and brassiere, nearly caused her to moan aloud. The tension in her nipples and between her legs intensified a thousand fold.

Her hand, which had been cupping the curve of her flaming cheek, slowly began to creep down the side of her neck before turning over to allow the backs of her fingers to caress their way in a slow slide down and across the moist skin of her neck. Just below the collarbone, her hand became more audacious and turned to cup the expanse of her chest above her breast.

It was pleasing, and she could feel the hammering pace of her heart thrumming against her chest as it rose and fell in fast panting breaths. Pressing her lips together, she boldly drew a hand down further to settle it onto the top swell of her breast. Just below her small finger lay the achingly tight knot of her nipple. Never before had she suspected it could form into _such_ a pointed peak, nor that allowing it to rub up against the palm of her hand through the slight layers of cloth could feel _so_ good. When Esme ventured to give it a little squeeze, it felt even better, and she had to stifle yet another groan.

It was all too easy to then imagine it was _his_hand. Her body arched sharply against the ground as an intense bolt of sensation coursed through her body, and a soft gasp to fly from her throat. It was thrilling and new, and she lay panting and frozen for several brief moments absorbing the impact her imagination was having on her previously innocent body. She never knew such secrets were locked away in her own flesh.

_How far could the feeling go?_

Trailing her hand down across her belly, and feeling the muscles of her abdomen tighten under the soft flesh, she allowed her hand to slide over the bump of her hip bone, down the outside of her thigh. There she found the hem of her skirt and the creamy fabric of her slip which had been bared wantonly to the world as she lay back in the grass. Fingering the slip with the tips of her fingers somehow symbolized the final turning point for Esme. She knew if she simply pulled down her skirt, she would stay the demure, repressed young lady her mother wanted her to be. Continuing her exploration, on the other hand meant leaving behind convention and declaring independence – her womanhood; at least within the privacy of her own mind ...and with the one man who had awoken the cravings of her body.

Determined to let out this new brazen side of herself, Esme consciously reached for the hem, bravely sliding the skirts slowly up the fronts of her thighs. She lay panting for several moments taking in the startling feeling of having her ivory skin exposed to the sun in such an unabashed way. The tentative breeze danced across the fine hairs of her legs, making her feel more naked than if she had stripped nude.

She shivered from the knowledge of what she was about to do. Slipping her hand down to touch the top of her panties above her navel she realized - this was it. After this, there _really _was no turning back. Even if no one else ever knew, _she_would know. No matter what anyone else thought, Esme knew she wasn't the mousy, little goody-two-shoes everyone else took her for. This was her opportunity to take her femininity into her own hands.

Quite literally.

She couldn't help the bashful grin and slight giggle that sprang from her lips. Taking a deep steeling breath, Esme pushed her panties down her legs and kicked off her shoes, before bending her knees to slide the undergarment over her feet. She could feel the breeze swirling against the lower curve of her buttocks as it moved between her bottom and calves below her still bent knees, creating a slight cooling sensation under the curly hairs. Curious, she reached between her legs to feel the dampness there. Licking her suddenly dry lips she cupped her hand over the area, pressing her hand against her pubic bone and once again imagining a _certain_pair of eyes enraptured with the sight of her exposed flesh. A shiver tingled up her spine. The sun's scorching rays licked at her body leaving her able to imagine the pleasure of a man's gaze upon her exposed flesh all the more easy to achieve.

Touching her skin in a way she never had before, she seized the opportunity to investigate the sensations. Closing her eyes, she surrendered to this tantalizing exploration. Esme had never thought about just how soft the skin of her thighs was, or how silky the curls between her legs were. She shuddered as her hand slipped feather-light over the flesh just above those soft strands, definitely somewhere she would like him to touch. She thought of how Carlisle's sports roughened fingers, long and slender, would feel as they learned her body.

At last, Esme couldn't bear the tension any longer, the ache was just too intense. She knew it was all building up to something, she needed to go further. Curling her index finger to the far back edge of the twisted curls, she dipped it between the now swollen folds and into the reservoir of moisture she found collected there, before sliding her finger down through the center to the building aching. The occasional brushing of her fingers against parts of her flesh, shot shivers of delight through her and reminded her of the brushing of rose petals against skin. That was exactly what the explorations felt like - a questing through the central petals of a moist silky-soft rose. Even though she'd been told by her best friend that it looked more like the insides of an oyster 'down there', she chose, instead, to envision a flower blooming for the first time, never having used a hand mirror to investigate the area the way Rose claimed to have done.

Learning what felt pleasurable quite quickly, brushes of her finger sent repeated shocks of intensity through Esme's whole body. Her breathing picked up, and her hips bucked forward of their own volition. Driven by the images of Carlisle in her head, her touches became more audacious. Swirling through her drenched flesh she had to bite on her bottom lip to stifle the moans begging to break free. Esme's increasing heartbeat was so very loud in her ears, it nearly drowned out the sounds of nature around her and the nearby voices of boys at play. She hadn't noticed one particular voice was missing from the crowd.

Awareness of her surroundings prickled at the outside of her awareness, but she was too far gone to care. Once again, the image of Carlisle pushing through the reeds to stumble upon her like this – bare, wet and uncontrolled -sent an intense bolt of desire surging through her body. It blazed in shame… and desire.

Her hands began moving faster - flicking, circling, chasing the feelings that added to the swirling tension mounting and tightening inside her. Her muscles clenched, thighs clamping tightly together as her free hand alternately grasped and fluttered against the tide surging through her flesh filling her like an unstopped tsunami behind a foolish dam.

As her legs trembled, the tension was building, building. Esme squeezed her eyes tightly shut, locking away the rest of the world, losing herself in the intensity of the moment, aware not even of the wild pounding of her heart or the heaving pants of unbridled breathing.

On the breeze, she thought she heard him calling her name.

Esme's body fought to move, and the tension fought to still her until the memory of Carlisle's beautiful smiling face flooded her mind with the sight of the tight flex and pull of his perfectly muscled body as he sauntered enticingly into the water just minutes before.

A cry struggled to fly past her open lips as her entire body went rigid, arching sharply and contracting in upon itself. Clamping her thighs tightly around her wrist as quaking ripples cascaded through her flesh, she felt flayed open in an unending crash. Her breathing caught and strained to explode from her. Esme barely had the wherewithal to keep her voice from giving vent to the intensity of the experience by calling out aloud. Aftershocks rippled tantalizingly along her nerves before she yanked her hand away from the now overly sensitized area. Talk about a lavender haze...

Exhausted, but feeling a relief she had never known before, Esme lingered in the images still dancing in her mind.

"Oh Carlisle..." she muttered.

"Yes, Esme?" came a velvety voiced response crooned quietly from just above her...

* * *

><p>AN:  
>RosaBella75: Holy heckballs, TA!<p>

TwiliteAddict: *laughs knowingly* Guess she wasn't _quite_as sneaky as she thought she was!

RosaBella75: LOL True! Guess we'll just have to trust in Carlisle to be the gentleman we know him to be… though he is a greaser here! Hmmmm… So, what did you all think of our little entry for the Spank the Monkey Contest?

TwiliteAddict: There's lots of great entries, you should go check them out and then vote for your favorite.

RosaBella75: Yeah, we know it's a tough job, but we hope you all are willing to "take some for the team"! *winks*

TwiliteAddict: *laughs at RB* When you've recovered from reading this, that is. No worries if it takes you a little time to come back from pouncing on your significant other. *winks* You have until July 21st to get your votes in!

RosaBella75: We hope our slang from the 50's didn't throw any of you!

TwiliteAddict: Just in case we did, a D.A. was called a Duck Butt or Duck-tail (in polite company) and was a greased back hairstyle popular at the time.

RosaBella75: "Into the purple haze" was a 50's term for falling into love. I stretched it into kind of a lusty, crush love, and hope it's not too far from authentic!

TwiliteAddict: Thanks for checking us out... er, our story out!

RosaBella75: *laughs* That too! And hope you'll be kind enough to click the review button and tell us what you thought! (I think reviews – not votes, please vote for your favorite - motivate TA to get her whip out and keep _me_motivated to keep writing!) *mwah*

TwiliteAddict: Pfft. Don't forget to thank our fabulous last minute pre-readers and betas: TwifanUK, Gasaway Alley (this Ape's for you, Ape! teehee), and punctuation goddess - Viola Cornuta!

RosaBella75: More self lovin' lusciousness can be found in the on the Spankthemonkey4U site or in their C2! (www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/community/Spanking_the_Monkey/92630/

RosaBella75: Oh! And if you would be so kind (or are curious!) please check out TA's profile and postings as well! Since we could only post one link to the story between us, you can find TA's post of the story at: http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/7162696/1/


	2. Chapter 2: PSA

In case you missed it – or it's slipped your mind with all the wanking we dropeed into your laps *sly grin/wink* -

**Voting is now open in The Spank the Monkey Contest!**

If you liked **Feel For You**, we'd there's more fun waiting for you! Go to **www (dot) fanfiction (dot) net/~spankthemonkey4u **to find more enjoyment and then vote.

You three votes for your top three choices – so read all the Wank-tastic entries (we know, it's a _tough _job, but somebody's gotta do it *wink*) and vote for your faves!

Public voting open now through **Thursday, July 21st.**

Thanks for reading! Responses and votes are equally appreciated!

_~TwiliteAddict and RosaBella75_

(And don't worry - there WILL be more once the contest is over, so please forgive the non-chapter if it got you all excited!)


	3. Chapter 3: Carlisle

**Feel For You Chapter 2: Carlisle**

Title: Feel for You

Collaborators Names: TwiliteAddict and RosaBella75 (aka IslandWoman221)

Pairing: Esme x Carlisle

Rating: M

~o~

Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended, we're just having fun putting them in opportunistic situations.

A/N: Enormous squenches and slobbery kisses of gratitude to our beta extraordinaire for squeezing in a quick and durty *mwha* spit polish for us!

~o~

Tallahassee, Florida  
>Summer, 1956<p>

Catching sight of the girls sitting on the porch as they all rode by on their way to the swimming hole was an unexpected, but pleasant surprise for both Carlisle and Emmett.

Carlisle noticed Esme his very first day of school. She had a fresh, innocent look about her he didn't see very often in the girls from New York.

That's how he met Emmett. Em noticed Carlisle gazing at Esme in math class and was quick to give the newcomer some needed advice, "Man, better look elsewhere. Her old man is a Baptist minister. Very strict." Emmett emphasized the word "strict" in a way that left Carlisle with a clear impression of the man. Carlisle had been in the South long enough to know things were different here than they were in the North. He had gotten more than a few stern looks when he forgot to address women as "ma'am" and men as "sir." And the way people here referred to the Negros – well, he'd just _never_understand that.

So he allowed himself to be pleasant to Esme, sometimes even flirtatious, but being new to the area, he certainly didn't want to ruffle any feathers and create any hardships for his folks. However, it didn't mean he didn't think about her – a lot.

And every day he saw her at school only made it harder not to think about her. Her smile lit up the room and her laugher was music to his ears—like the tinkling of jingle bells at Christmastime. He loved to make her laugh; her merriment reminded him of home.

Soon, he found himself longing to savor up close the unique and rich color of her hair. He wanted to run his fingers through the strands after removing the bright pink bow so obviously her favorite since it graced her head so very often.

In class, Carlisle found himself staring at her lips wondering if they had ever been kissed – not the peck at the door after a date, but a _real_kiss. A deep, wet one that conveyed more than the desire to thank her for a nice evening.

She seemed so pure, he was sure no man had ever got past first base.

One thing led to another, and alone in his room, he soon began pondering the feel of her skin, the untouched firmness of her breasts; the silkiness of her inner thighs…

At least in the privacy of his room, he could find relief – with the assistance of his hand and a handkerchief – or two.

Unfortunately, it had now gotten to the point that Carlisle had difficulty thinking of Esme without getting a boner. Cause and effect. A learned behavior, if you will. And at the rate Carlisle was '_learning'_, he figured he'd have a _scholar's degree _in no time!

None of this posed a problem for the young man, until now. Seeing the flash of _her_ pink bow in the dense greenery surrounding the pond had a very unfortunate _effect_. He was stark naked with a group of guys and how in God's name was he going to hide _it_?

As Carlisle stood waist deep in the water, he shot an evil look in Emmett's direction. This was entirely his fault! Once Emmett zeroed in on Carlisle's crush on Esme, he came clean to Carlisle about his crush on Rose. Funny thing such a big guy would be intimidated by a chick, but nonetheless, he kept his feelings a secret waiting for the "right time" to ask her out on a date.

So, today, he got the brilliant idea that the last one stripped and into the pond was going to have his crush outed to his girl. Carlisle had won the race fair and square, but then he figured out Emmett lost on purpose – he was probably looking for a way to have someone else take care of the "Rose situation" for him! After all, there was only a few weeks left of summer… then off to college.

Carlisle tried and tried to conceal and wait out his _state of affair_in the water, but eventually, the need for release was backing up and befuddling his brain.

Now needing to cover two unsettling reactions, he casually excused himself to take a leak and silently swam with sure underwater strokes out around a bend in the shoreline of the pond. He spied a secluded spot in the reeds and tall grasses. Before he'd left though, he'd used the cover of splashing at Garrett one last time, to glance over his shoulder at the bushes where that tantalizing glimpse of pink had been, only to find no hint of his new favorite color and hair bow. His stomach dropped. She'd left.

Had he completely misread her? Though she appeared shy and innocent, she did hang out with _Rose_, so… she couldn't be quite as big of a goody two shoes as she appeared to be, could she? Carlisle was confident when he taunted her with glimpses of his _choice bod - _even if he said so himself - he'd captured her attention.

But what if he'd just blown any chance he had with her? Disappointment was a bitter taste indeed. Had he embarrassed her beyond her endurance?

He quickly reviewed all her body language and all their conversations they had had at school. There were numerous times she looked at him when she thought he wasn't looking. Her gaze had him feeling like a juicy cheeseburger… and she was dying to take a bite.

Carlisle thought he recognized those looks since he wasn't exactly innocent. There'd been a few heavy petting sessions in the back of his dad's '55 Chevy. Fast girls liked fast cars after all, and he knew his way around a brassier quite well as a result. God knows he now knew his way around his own equipment even better. The last few weeks alone ensured that. He'd been rather proud of his restraint as compared with what the other guys at school claimed - until Esme's hourglass figure began invading his thoughts...

Esme...the source of, and answer to all his problems at the moment.

With a groan, Carlisle glanced around and deemed the little cove-like nook in the reeds to be far enough from the guys to "take care of business." Something about the warm sun on his shoulders and thoughts of Esme, equally bare, surpassed any previous fantasy he had of her. Already he could feel his not-so- little problem re-asserting its presence quite firmly.

Carlisle continued to stroke through the lily pads and up to the thick reedy growth. He couldn't help but feel like an enormous frog whenever he waded among the plants like this. Judging the ground to be right below him, he let his feet dip to find the mucky bottom. The squish of mud between his toes was always an odd mix of _ick_ and cool. Today it was all slurping caresses.

Drifting close to the shore, he knew all he had to do was push through the three feet or so of plants and he'd be on firm land, but instead he chose to merely lean back into the plants so that he was out of easy eyeshot. The pink in the center of the cow-lilies, (as Em called them) surrounding him was a pretty pink, drawing him closer to images to her. He hooked one with his hand and found it was soft, silky, the flower opening more with his touch - just like he'd imagine Esme's would feel and react, something he would love spending hours exploring .

Carlisle had all the right images in place and was tucked out of view, but he knew better than to try to rub himself while his skin was wet with plain water – very unfriendly friction. So instead, he rhythmically squeezed his shaft, and after a few moments used the newly formed dew drop to swirl his thumb slowly over the head. He imagined it was Esme touching him - after she'd pushed through the screen of bushes to walk toward him, a skinny-dipping water nymph with a powerfully, wanton and sensuous look in her eyes. She'd press her honey lips together to moisten them, and then stop just barely far enough away to keep her pert nipples from brushing against his naked chest. Not breaking eye contact, her hand would reach forward to do just what his hand was doing to himself, now. Her mouth would fall open to allow her panting breaths to course in and out of her rapidly rising chest.

He was so hard.

Without conscious thought, he breathed out her name in a husky whisper… "Esme."  
>Somehow saying her name caused him to feel more like she was really there, just out of sight and the idea sent a <em>very<em>powerful burst of arousal through him. He threw back his head savoring the moment, letting his thumb flick over his tip again as he gripped harder. Needing more stimulation, he took the index finger of his free hand and slipped it under the foreskin he had not allowed to fully retract. Using his own emissions he swirled his finger around the rim of the tip, under the skin, intently watching the way it stretched and held his finger against his tip the whole time. The feeling was so intense. Panting, he clenched his jaw and once again closed his eyes loosing himself in the feeling of pleasure.

The sounds of nature surrounded him, but they were background noise to his fantasy, just the bits and pieces he took in from his surroundings to assure himself he remained alone. The buzzing of the dragonflies and other native water denizens, the gentle lapping of the water against the shore and plant stalks, were carried on the breeze shushing through the grass. The occasional shout and faint drone of laughing conversation from the other guys carried through the nearly still air... and a low, throaty female moan of satisfaction.

_Wait… __what?_

Had his fantasy taken on a life of its own or did he really hear something? That was definitely not a dude behind him in the reeds getting off; that was a girl, and something about her moan struck a deep answering note of desire in him. Adrenaline rushed in his gut, and Carlisle decided he _had_to see who it was. Was someone watching him?

As silently as possible, Carlisle inched forward, surprisingly rapid through the marsh grasses, gently pushing them aside to peer through to the shore. There, laid before him in a scene of pure flushed and arching perfection, was Esme!

She had her skirt shrugged up over her belly exposing her entire lower half, her hand firmly wedged between her clamped thighs, her nipples were so hard he could clearly see them straining through the fabric of her blouse. Her eyes were squeezed shut just as tightly as her legs, and pure delight played across her lips as she rode out her climax. Her little white panties lay next to her in the bent over reeds. She was pleasuring herself and he was sure he'd _never_seen anything more beautiful, or arousing—in his life!

His erection, which had faded with the adrenaline shock, sprang back to life. There was the object of his desire, his fantasy, splayed before him in obvious readiness to be taken. Her back arched, thrusting her breasts into the sultry air. It was a sight that would forever be etched in his mind, a visual for every self love session he would ever have in his lifetime!

He wrapped his hand around his hardness and squeezed, while cupping his contracted balls with the other hand. Damn, he'd never been this hard and had to be so still! A gentleman would leave and never mention what he saw...but couldn't look away...and he sure as hell couldn't move.

Her body shuddered with residual aftershocks of her release, her breath alternately catching and panting in her throat. Her hips bucked a final time before she ripped her hand away from between her flushed and trembling legs. With one last deep breath, she clearly breathed, "Oh, Carlisle."  
>His eyes snapped up to look at her face – sure he was caught...<p>

But no, her eyes were still closed.

So that meant... she was fantasizing about _him_!

This was just too good an opportunity to pass up. Before he could even consider the wisdom of the action, his mouth opened and he responded to her lust-laden call.

"Yes, Esme?"

* * *

><p><span>AN:

RosaBella75: Wait! Don't throw tomatoes! We've got chapter 3 (with our young lovers together *waggles eyebrows*) almost ready to go! The lemony action is complete and now to wrap-up the details!

TwiliteAddict: Thanks to everyone who read/voted. We didn't win the contest, but we did get some great encouragement and reviews, so we decided to post this chapter - it was originally part of our entry, but it would have put us over the word limit for the contest. And quite frankly, once RB got started with this story, I couldn't stop her!

RosaBella75: C & E brought my writing mojo out of hiding! YAY! The contest was a lot of fun and it _has_been killing me to sit on this while we waited it out! Happy reading and like TA said, a huge thanks to all those who made the contest such fun!


	4. Ch 4: Show Me Yours, I'll Show You Mine

Feel For You Chapter 3:

**Show Me Yours, I'll Show You Mine**

~o~

A/N: Watch for the few nods to canon! As always enormous gratitude to our awesomesauce content beta, GasawayAlley; and to our quick and duuurty beta, the glorious, Viola Cornuta!

Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended, we're just having fun putting them in opportunistic situations.

Summary: Saunter back to a time when self-love was as taboo as sex outside of marriage. But what's a young woman to do when sexual urges become too strong to resist? Isn't self-sex the safest sex? AH *Entry for Spank the Monkey Contest*

~o~

Tallahassee, Florida  
>Summer, 1956<p>

_"Oh, Carlisle."_

"_Yes, Esme?"_

With a start, her eyes flew wide open, catching sight of her naughty mental image standing over her! Water droplets glistened in the sun as they ran down his body, giving him a sparkly appearance. Reality popped her dream bubble as she caught sight of his swollen erection. Gasping, her eyes painfully bulged as wide as they could possibly go in both embarrassment and a large dollop of fear. Quick as a wink, she was rolling over and scrambling up off the ground, her hands frantic to pull her skirt down as far as it would go. From out of the corner of her eye, she saw her panties waving on the reeds like a hastily tossed flag of surrender...

She turned, panties forsaken, and ran off as fast as the terrain allowed. _What was she thinking doing such a thing in public!_

Well, she knew what she was _thinking_...but in _public_!

How would she ever show her face again? Carlisle was sure to blab what he saw to the whole school. Her reputation was ruined...and her father! Once word got back to him (which it always did with such a small, chatty congregation), she'd never be allowed to go anywhere un-chaperoned again. She had feared God would punish her if she ever did such a shameful thing as masturbate, but she sure never thought the punishment would come so damn swiftly!

"No! No, Esme, don't go!" Carlisle called after her retreating form.

He'd never heard his voice sound quite so desperate, never imagined it even could. As he was about to give chase, he had a moment of clarity – he was naked struggling through the underbrush after a minister's daughter! If he were seen, such a scandal would probably justify his whole family being strung up and then burned to ash anywhere in the entire Bible belt.

Looking around quickly, his grateful eyes latched onto the lily pad, which had held his interest earlier. In two quick steps, he scooped it up, and doing his best "Adam" impression, holding it in place (hoping it would be an improvement over his bare hands). He resumed bounding and wading as fast as he could out back of the pond and onto dry land. Fortunately, his athletic ability, along with a healthy dose of panic, enabled him to reach Esme and grasp her wrist just as she was about to reach the edge of the clearing.

Taking an even bigger risk to try to prevent her from forever thinking of him as the creep who spied on her while catching her in the most intimate of positions, he pulled back on her arm, spinning her around so forcefully he had to drop his lily pad to catch her. They stood, shocked, face to face, the cotton of her shirt brushing against his bare chest as she tried to catch her breath. It was a surprisingly unexpected turn of events, rather resembling the scene in "Casablanca" where Humphrey Bogart pulls Ingrid Bergman to him and stares deeply into her eyes. Carlisle pulled Esme even closer hoping her skirt would help to screen her eyes from his nakedness. He had sense enough to know that if he didn't explain his actions quickly, he'd have one heck of a Hell Cat on his hands, as opposed to the wide-eyed doe he currently held firmly, but gently, in his arms.

"Wait, please! I know you're not _'that' _kind of girl, Esme, and I'm not _really _a pervert, no matter what it looks like!" he pleaded, his voice cracking. "Please! Just stop and let me explain."

"I wasn't peeping on you, I swear! Well, I was, but not in _that _kind of way. I was there just to get away from the guys to... well, when I thought I saw you in the bushes earlier, uh, part of me reacted..." Carlisle stuttered, mumbling quickly to gloss over the tawdry bits and highlight the important part: if they both had feelings for each other, they should be together.

"I had just heard a sound I never would have heard if I'd been further away and came to investigate. It was like it was fate or something that I found you there in the sun like that. It was just about the most beautiful sight I've ever seen… the most beautiful sight a boy… a man... could ever hope to see." And then he slowed his speech, "Actually, I was thinking about you when I heard you call my name." he admitted, blushing and averting his eyes.

If anything, his rapid-fire speech made her even more skittish, and she tensed as if to make another run for it.

Carlisle took a deep breath and looked Esme square in the eyes, begging shamelessly, "Don't go. Please, Esme, don't go."

He released her go to underscore his sincere respect for her right to choose, while he prayed that his frantic yet honest speech worked – and that she wouldn't respond with a swift knee to his family jewels.

He was pleased to find she didn't run, but she wasn't giving him any real sign yet, so he kept talking, hoping his honesty would be persuasion enough.

"Now… after seeing you just then… I know you're passionate as well as smart – sexy - and funny. No matter what happens, I… I just want to get to know you better, Esme. I have wanted to for a while now but was just too chicken."

He turned his head to the side and hung it in submission briefly, before looking up to gaze searchingly into her eyes. Her shoulders had relaxed some, and she seemed to be looking just as intently into his eyes. He tried to convey with his expression just how very sincere he was, and just how deeply he felt about the possibility of making her _his._ The idea of her being by his side resonated like a two-ton bell in his head, and he suddenly _knew, _even in the face of the absurdity and utter embarrassment of the situation.

"I want you to be my girl. Would you be mine, Esme?"

When she failed to respond, he couldn't resist her anymore, and bent his head forward to taste her lips… at last.

The kiss was glorious, warm and soft, moist, and just perfect! She smelled so good too, like warm summer day and… girl. He'd never known such a perfect scent existed or that it would so completely be his undoing.

For all he'd glimpsed of her passion before, he was quite unprepared for the strength of her response at this moment. She gasped and her mouth opened as she devoured his lips with her own. It was like going from doing a simple box step to dancing the tango… and he loved it. His past with other girls could _never_ compare with this. This was meant to be. This was a connection on a different, deeper and more meaningful level. He'd never heard locker-room talk about making out that could compare with this feeling!

"Ohhhh, Esme!" he muttered as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Carlisle!" she breathed, her voice a few octaves higher than usual.

The realization her voice was like that for _him _touched something primal in him. With a growl, he took her more firmly into his arms and kissed her back like it was their last moment on earth, before he lowered both of them to the ground.

Cradling her face in his hands as he hovered over her, he kissed the apple of each of her cheeks and then her eyelids.

"You are so beautiful, Esme. You've made my breath catch every time I've seen you since the first time I saw you. I can't help but feel we were meant to be together."

Her hands, which had been clinging to his shoulders, snaked up to grasp the back of his neck to pull him down to her trembling lips. Their moans spilled through the air in a harmonious note.

"Carlisle... I know I _shouldn't _but I'm tired of always doing what's right. I've wanted to explore my wilder side, like Rose, but..." She attempted to steal a look at his nakedness, before shyly looking into Carlisle's face. "I wanted it to be with someone I felt something for. Someone like you."

Esme's hands slid around Carlisle's waist, caressing briefly up to his shoulders. Carlisle began trailing kisses toward her neck. To get better access, he pushed her shirt further back on her shoulders, exposing her cotton bra to his lips. Supporting his weight on one side, he freed the other to slide it into the curve of her waist and under her breast.

Pressing her lips together at the intense spikes of desire shooting from his motions spreading to the almost painfully tight area between her legs, Esme let her head drop to the side to let nature take its course. Without giving herself a moment to reconsider, she acted on her passion and grasped Carlisle's bare backside in her hands and pulled him firmly against her recently discovered, and again primed, pleasure nexus.

"AHHH!" they exclaimed in unison.

"Oh, my God. It's so hard!" Esme exclaimed in shock at the foreign object pressing into her. Esme bit her lip and squeezed her eyes closed, fighting back the "proper" urge to tell him to stop.

His thumb made a pass across her nipple, causing her hips to buck sharply, both gasping again. Carlisle dropped his head to the crux of her neck, his heated breath bringing her whole right side into a burst of goose-flesh. He began to thrust in return against her.

He groaned. Esme's mouth gaped wider, and her brow drew down in an expression of intense concentration. She could feel the outline of his hardness through her layered skirt; occasionally he would brush against the trigger area of her pleasure. She tried to move beneath him to position herself so he was more likely to touch that spot. She never dreamed such sensation could be hidden behind the curls she had previously been rather embarrassed by.

"Ahhhh!" she cried out her back arching, thrusting her perfect, full breasts tightly against the hard planes of his chest.

"You are so gorgeous, Esme! Your passion lights me on fire."

By the time he finished speaking, his voice had gotten somewhat tight with the restraint of holding himself back. It was a good thing they hadn't gone all the way, he thought. There'd be no way he would have lasted more than a few seconds inside her. A sharp shudder rippled down his spine just at the _thought _of being fully inside her.

Somewhat desperate to get her off before he lost it, Carlisle bent his head to her neck and began placing gentle open-mouthed, nibbling kisses along her collarbone, sucking ever so slightly with each kiss. Her head fell back granting him more room to trek across her flushed skin, and she moaned a long deep sound that struck him in the pit of his belly all the way to the end of his cock. He ground more tightly against her noticing how she bucked a little more forcefully. She didn't resist giving in to her needs.

Her breath was coming in sharp panting breaths now, occasional mewling noises escaping her pursed lips. Her thighs were positively trembling. He sensed she was close, intuitively divining she needed just that little extra something to send her over into the cauldron of pleasure brewing between them. God knew he was getting more and more erratic in his thrusts and could feel his own legs trembling as well.

Kissing firmly up the long silken column of her neck, Carlisle flicked his tongue against the lobe of her ear, delighting in the extra small gasp she granted him for doing so. Gathering all his remaining control, he took a deep breath and then oh-so-slowly and gently allowed it to coat the damp flesh of her ear with his sultry exhalation.

"Esmeee…" he breathed into her ear.

"Carliiisle!" she groaned, her face stretched in a rictus of utter passion that nearly made his heart stop in his chest. Her body contracted tightly for several long moments before sagging deeply into the grass. The knowledge of her reaching climax under him finished him for sure.

"Ohh," Carlisle choked out, not realizing just how different release felt with a woman involved. He pressed his face into the skin of her neck and chest hoping to hide his embarrassment of his pleasure contorted face.

Fully spent and weakened, Carlisle finally stopped twitching and allowed his lower body to collapse against her.

The stunned couple lay silently for a while before Esme ventured a few words, going for an understatement since words just weren't adequate for what she'd just experienced, "Wow, that was really... something."

"Yeah, that was _something,_" Carlisle agreed with Esme's statement, wondering if she had been caught off-guard by its intensity.

Esme let out a small laugh and before long the two were laughing at the audacity of their actions.

When the laughter died down to just giggles and sighs, Carlisle took the opportunity to inform Esme of the one unfortunate outcome of their tryst in the reeds – the probable wet spot on her skirt.

"Um, you may need to rinse off part of your skirt in the pond before you return home... please."

Carlisle cringed picturing Esme's father chasing him with a pitchfork.

Esme searched her skirt with her hand for the offending spot.

"Eww," she responded finding it wetter and stickier than she'd thought it would be. Her nose spontaneously wrinkled when she touched it.

"Sorry." He blushed. "I'll help you..."

"I think you have your own matters to consider." She raised her eyebrows and glanced downward. "Like getting back to find your clothes. I'm sure your friends are wondering where you've gone… naked as a jaybird."

Esme paused and struck an obvious pose of deep consideration. "I _suppose _we could wrap my hair ribbon around it like a maypole," she stated, looking _very _innocent while struggling to stifle her giggles. She utterly failed at squashing the sly grin curving her mouth quite charmingly… in a rather wicked way, even as a deep blush overtook her high cheekbones. "I mean, that way at _least_ the most important bit is covered while we walk back," she giggled, shrugging one nonchalant shoulder.

"Yeah, Emmett'd probably mistake it as gift just for him," Carlisle joked before becoming more serious. "All joshing aside, Esme… this meant something to me. I'd _really _like to take you out sometime. Do this right, you know? Treat you like a lady. What do you say? Will you go out with me tonight?" He looked hopeful. "I'm pretty sure I can get my dad's car."

Esme's eyes shone intensely with a new inner glow as she briefly ducked her head and then looked up at him timidly. "I'd love to, Carlisle."

Carlisle let out the breath he wasn't even aware he'd been holding and smiling. "Great! I'll pick you up at seven?"

"I'll be waiting – in a different skirt..."

"Oh, forgot. Let's get that cleaned off."

Carlisle reached out and took Esme's hand leading the way back toward the water, while sticking close to the sides of the path and looking cautiously ahead anytime there was the least danger of anyone spying him before he could see them. It was slow going, but he didn't mind, and Esme surely didn't mind the view from behind him, though she did wonder if her cheeks would _ever_ cool again.

_Blushing is good for the complexion, though, right?_

They squatted down together at the water's edge to dump handfuls of water on Esme's skirt. She kept her eyes glued to the water and the soaking material she now wore.

A high-pitched squeal of laughter startled them both. As one, they moved to investigate around the reeds. Esme giggled and flushed head to toe. She couldn't believe her eyes! Rose was _soaking _wet and apparently doing her best to crawl _inside_ Emmett through his mouth. Wow! She'd _never_ seen anything so passionate in her life – and doubted she would if she lived to be a hundred and ten!

Rosalie's camera lay abandoned on the shore, cover open, apparently used. The rest of the guys were nowhere to be seen. Emmett was supporting Rose's backside with one of his very large hands, while she had her legs clamped around his waist, and his other hand griped the back of her head through her wet hair. Her dress clung to her skin tightly, and it looked like the neckline had been pulled as low as it could possibly go. The necking couple was turned a bit to the side, so Esme got an even better view of Emmett's powerful thighs than she would have had earlier… if she'd had eyes for anyone but Carlisle, that is.

Thankfully, the back of Rose's dress still hung low enough to protect Esme's still fairly innocent eyes from catching sight of all Emmett had to offer a lady, "The Full Monty," as it were. Covering her mouth to stifle her giggles and snorts, Esme pulled hard on Carlisle's hand trying to lead him away from the intimate moment between Rose and Emmett. Carlisle wasn't having any of it, of course.

"Geeeze! Get a _room_, you two!" he blurted out.

The wet couple's lips parted like they'd been shocked by lightning, and their heads whipped over to stare wide-eyed at Carlisle. Esme could see several red spots dotting Rose's chest and neck, and she fought harder not to let a shocked gasp escape her. He was giving her hickeys!

A cocky smile formed on Emmett's lips as he eyed Carlisle's situation, "Not leaving much to Esme's imagination are you, man?"

Carlisle flipped Emmett the bird, and Esme blushed as Carlisle pulled a handful of her dampened skirt over his own nakedness. Esme didn't resist, she preferred Rose not catching too good a glimpse of_ her_ man, either.

"Hell yeah, you Nancy boy! All the chicks wanna catch a gander of this!" Emmett shouted back striking a body-builder pose as best he could one armed while still holding Rose tight against his torso.

"Ha!" barked Carlisle. "What? You expect them all to go around with a magnifying glass just on the off chance you shed your clothes?" Carlisle laughed.

"You jealous son of a…"

Emmett released Rose in a hasty bolt for Carlisle.

"No! No, you won't, Emmett McCarty!" Rose shouted clinging to him like a limpet.

Carlisle laughed louder and waved, "Catch your act later, Em!" Carlisle nodded and smiled at them both before adding one more parting taunt. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"Yeah, like that limits me any!" Emmett shouted back.

Shaking his head and smiling, Carlisle firmly took Esme's hand and quickly exited toward the trail of clothes. Every time he stooped to gather various items of his clothing, Esme valiantly stove not to look… much. She may have caught a few glimpses.

"I'll be over later, Esme! I want details!" Rose called after them before chuckling a rather sinister and knowing laugh. Esme made a face of disbelief at the brazen duo.

Once they rounded the corner of the trail where they were out of sight of the water, they stopped to allow Carlisle to dress. Esme didn't even try to hide her snorting when he first hopped on one leg, then the other while getting his underwear then cut-offs back on. For his part, he tried to get dressed as fast as possible without landing on his backside.

_Carlisle really is quite darling when he blushes, _she thought.

However, her thoughts took a decidedly unladylike turn imagining how she could get him to blush again at a more… opportune time. She found herself quickening and fluttering deep inside and had to take a few calming breaths. Perhaps the fact Carlisle had stayed semi-erect the whole time played a role as well.

When he finally was dressed, he took her hand again and with a bit of a dashing smile, asked, "May I walk you home, Esme?"

Esme jumped at the chance. "Of course, Carlisle. I'd love that."

She told herself to stop acting so brazen but couldn't seem to stop herself in the moment. _Oh, well. At least I've quit acting the prude. Perhaps there's hope for more with him yet... a bit slower this time... maybe._

The walk back to her house was quiet, an odd blend of comfortable and awkward silences. They both were dreading and avoiding the discussion of what had happened earlier, but at the same time, they didn't feel the need to chatter to fill the quiet between them.

All too soon the couple was climbing the steps to Esme's porch. Suddenly, ineptness and uncertainty returned when she turned to face him. Carlisle lifted his hand and ran the back of his first two fingers lightly over her cheek.

"I can't wait to see you again… properly this time. Dinner tonight?"

Esme burst into a broad smile. "I'd love that."

"Great, then I'll stop by tonight to pick you up. Is seven okay?"

"Yeah," she answered still smiling widely.

"So, I'll see you then," he murmured holding her eyes in an almost tangible embrace. "I'd like to kiss you again, Esme. Would that be all right?"

Esme's heart caught in her throat before picking up its pace. She scanned the area quickly before murmuring, "I'd like that very much." Her eyes focused on his lips as his tongue snaked out to moisten them. She unconsciously found herself mimicking him as he stepped forward and took her in his firm embrace. His lips descended toward hers slowly before taking possession of her plump, moist flesh in a most satisfying way. Too soon, they parted, both smiling like love-sick fools.

"Be sure to wear your dancing shoes," Carlisle said as he turned and started toward the steps.

Esme was sure her smile could have lit Times Square.

Epilogue:

They somehow managed to keep their hands off each other that night - for the most part. Carlisle seemed to be determined to do things the "right way", even if somewhat belatedly. Esme appreciated the way he tried to impress her, as if he was almost desperate for her to trust him.

Carlisle just couldn't shake the feeling that she was his forever.

For her part, Esme wanted to redeem herself in his eyes. She liked exploring her wild side, but not at the expense of her reputation, and the idea of Carlisle viewing her as some easy tramp just turned her stomach and gripped her insides with fear. Still, she secretly wanted to jump him, and take up where they'd left off, but she had somehow successfully suppressed the urge all night as well.

Carlisle had arrived in his Dad's shiny '55 Chevy, introduced himself properly to her father and mother, and then proceeded to show her the best night on the town she could have ever imagined. They had a quick bite at the diner, followed by a fun time dancing before spending a bit of time parked, taking in the view of the lights of the valley at the Overlook. Of course they did a bit of necking, but both seemed to understand it was not the time to unleash their previous passions.

Carlisle returned her to her front porch promptly at 11:30 that night and managed to get one more quick kiss just before her father flickered the porch light on and off in warning.

Giggling, Esme scooted past her father and hurried to her room. She flopped on her bed with a bewildered and happy grin on her face as she wondered at her good fortune; her dreams were coming true.

So passed the last few days of summer in a blur of activities, longing, and late nights lost in conversations covering every topic under the sun two teens on the verge of adulthood could think of.

Soon, it was time for Carlisle and Esme to begin packing for school, and the idea of being separated nearly killed the both of them. They both agreed Esme would drive up every other weekend with Rose, who'd been going steady with Emmett all summer, too. They promised they'd write daily, even if it was just a quick note.

Before they knew it, another summer was upon them, and, by then, their romance had blossomed into full love. The first night of Carlisle's return from college, he took her to dinner, and, afterward in a meadow under a million sparkling stars, he dropped to his knee and proposed. The couple was married in a small outdoor ceremony, in full sight of the pond, two weeks before school started in the fall again. After a short honeymoon, Esme transferred schools and quickly became immersed in nesting in their special campus housing set aside for married couples.

Even though their relationship had a quirky start, their comfort with one another and the time they'd taken to grow and truly learn one another, their wedding night was everything they could have hoped for: not perfect, but full of tenderness and passion. Finally, _complete_ exploration of what it meant to be connected in every way, brought them together as one.

A/N:

TwiliteAddict: *dabs a tear* Damn, I love a HEA. Especially one that doesn't involve some gory pregnancy and a freaky toothed baby.

RosaBella75: Yeah. SM has nothing on us, bb!

TwiliteAddict: I'd say we had our humor on for this too, but honestly, that's life, isn't it? Awkward at best.

RosaBella75: So, true - no sparkling, f*ckhawt, rich men clamoring for my blood, that's for sure!

TwiliteAddict: Eh, that's overrated anyway...

RosaBella75: Thanks for reading our coming-of-age period piece on self-love. Consider leaving us a little love in the form of a comment/review.

TwiliteAddict: Yeah, you can give us a happy ending...wait, that didn't sound right...

RosaBella75: *rolls eyes* TA, just say thank you to the nice readers.

TwiliteAddict: *bows head and mutters* Thank you, nice readers.


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